Top News:
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
Ex-Deadspin staff launch digital media company Defector Media, which they will own and operate, led by EIC Tom Ley and open to subscribers for $8 per month — The journalists who took part in a staff rebellion last year are starting Defector Media, a company with a podcast and a website dedicated to sports and culture.
Discussion:
@defectormedia, @jaycaspiankang, @pykea, @brofax, @drewmagary, @lainnafader, @hamiltonnolan, @senari, @tomscocca, @seandkennedy, @media_evan, @alexmsilverman and @toley88
Oliver Darcy / CNN:
After pushback, Sinclair says it will not move forward with airing a segment featuring discredited researcher of the conspiracy theory-driven “Plandemic” — New York (CNN)The Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI) said Monday it will not move forward with airing a segment featuring …
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:
Times-Picayune treated David Duke “less as a politician than as a threat” during his 1991 run for governor, an approach that media can emulate in 2020 — In recent weeks, Slow Burn, the hit history podcast from Slate, has broadcast its fourth season, on the political rise of David Duke …
Discussion:
@cjr, @bgrueskin, @froomkin, @jon_allsop and @jayrosen_nyu
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Ofcom allows BBC to cut two out of three of its daily TV bulletins for children to focus on creating online content, given shifts in how children consume media — The BBC will cut two out of three of its daily Newsround TV bulletins for children after Ofcom gave the go-ahead for it to prioritise online coverage.
Parker Molloy / Media Matters for America:
A look at five years of journalists and commentators talking about imminent pivots by Trump, praising him for always-temporary changes in his tone — It's been more than five years since Donald Trump rode down the golden escalator of his eponymous New York City tower to a crowd containing actors paid to cheer for him.
Discussion:
@soledadobrien, @whstancil, @jgkoomey, @jayrosen_nyu, @froomkin, @soledadobrien and GeekChicGazette
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
Caitlin Roper named NYT's executive producer for scripted projects, a role in which she'll develop NYT stories for film and TV alongside Hollywood producers — Caitlin Roper, who has been a senior editor at The New York Times Magazine since 2016, will develop Times reporting into scripted TV and film projects.
Discussion:
The New York Times Company, @caitlinroper and Breitbart
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Internal memo: The Ellen DeGeneres Show is under an internal investigation by WarnerMedia following reports of problems including racism and intimidation — “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has become the subject of an internal investigation by WarnerMedia following numerous accounts of workplace problems …
Discussion:
The Grapevine, Understandably, NME, The Independent, @matthewkeyslive, @tira_tira_tira, @phil_lewis_, @variety, @mattdonnelly, Breitbart, B&TB&T, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Us Weekly, People.com, Vulture, Hollywood Reporter, The A.V. Club, Fox News, Collider, The Week, Deadline, The Wrap and New York Post
Georgia Wells / Wall Street Journal:
Match Group names ex-CBS Interactive boss Jim Lanzone as Tinder's new CEO, beginning August 3 — Match Group's flagship dating app is navigating changes to online dating during the Covid-19 pandemic — Match Group Inc. MTCH 1.56% is naming a new chief executive for the company's flagship dating app Tinder …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, @austin_rief, @sarafischer, @georgia_wells, @kantrowitz, Reuters, Deadline, MediaPost, Hollywood Reporter and Fortune, more at Techmeme »
Ken Doctor / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with the new CEO of NYT Meredith Levien on establishing the paper as a world-class digital product and technology company — Meredith Kopit Levien knew early on that she'd like to head up a news publishing company. She just never expected she would end up as the CEO of The New York Times …
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu, @ronypatra, @jayrosen_nyu, @scott_gutterman, @cyrilsam, @niemanlab and @laurahazardowen
Euirim Choi / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Instagram has made lucrative offers, some in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, to some of TikTok's most popular creators to use Reels — Instagram makes lucrative offers to popular TikTok users to join its new competing service, raising stakes in social-media rivalry
Discussion:
Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
Steven Perlberg / Digiday:
Profile of Chartbeat founder Tony Haile and his new startup, Scroll, which offers an ad-free, $5/month bundle of 300 publishers and is off to a slow start — Tony Haile is one of the most well-liked personalities in media, a smooth-talking Brit who can gossip with reporters …
Discussion:
@jason_kint, @perlberg, @simonowens and @raju
Dan Rys / Billboard:
Profile of FaZe Clan, an e-sports collective of 85 professional gamers and content creators, backed by big-time music investors, which has become a cultural hit — Esports company FaZe Clan is emerging as a cultural behemoth as gamers move from the basement into the entertainment business
Discussion:
@chelseynorthern, @billboard and @freshtine_